Still Wrong Use of Pairings in Cryptography

Several pairing-based cryptographic protocols are recently proposed with a wide variety of new novel applications including the ones in emerging technologies like cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), e-health systems and wearable technologies. There have been however a wide range of incorrect use of these primitives. The paper of Galbraith, Paterson, and Smart (2006) pointed out most of the issues related to the incorrect use of pairing-based cryptography. However, we noticed that some recently proposed applications still do not use these primitives correctly. This leads to unrealizable, insecure or too inefficient designs of pairing-based protocols. We observed that one reason is not being aware of the recent advancements on solving the discrete logarithm problems in some groups. The main purpose of this article is to give an understandable, informative, and the most up-to-date criteria for the correct use of pairing-based cryptography. We thereby deliberately avoid most of the technical details and rather give special emphasis on the importance of the correct use of bilinear maps by realizing secure cryptographic protocols. We list a collection of some recent papers having wrong security assumptions or realizability/efficiency issues. Finally, we give a compact and an up-to-date recipe of the correct use of pairings.Comment: 25 page

Some Families of Elliptic Curves

Elliptic curves, intricate mathematical structures, form a nexus between number theory, alge- braic geometry, and cryptography. This paper offers a thorough exploration of these curves, delving into their foundational properties, historical origins, and diverse applications. Beginning with an introduction to the basics of elliptic curves, including their Weierstrass form, group theory, and fundamental concepts such as the group law and torsion points, the paper traces the historical evolution of elliptic curve theory, recognizing the contributions of mathematicians like Abel, Jacobi, and Weierstrass. The crux of the paper by G. Walsh lies in extending prior research by effectively proving that for sufficiently large values of m, elliptic curves expressed as y^2 = f(x) + m^2, where f(x) is a cubic polynomial splitting over the integers, have a rank of at least 2. This result stands as an effective version of Shioda’s theorem, marking a significant advancement in the field. Moreover, the paper delves into the pivotal role of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) in modern secure communication systems. ECC provides robust encryption, digital signatures, and key exchange protocols, leveraging the security and efficiency advantages inherent in elliptic curves. The paper emphasizes ECC’s prominence in contemporary cryptography, illustrating its preference in securing digital data transmission. Additionally, the paper explores recent developments, including endeavours to address the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture. It also highlights the relevance of elliptic curves in solving complex mathematical problems, such as Diophantine equations and Fermat’s Last Theorem, underscoring their broader significance in number theory. In essence, this paper serves as a comprehensive guide to elliptic curves, illuminating their mathematical elegance and practical utility. It underscores their indispensable role in modern cryptography while acknowledging their enduring impact on the realm of mathematics. By unravelling the theoretical intricacies and real-world applications of elliptic curves, this paper invites readers to appreciate the profound interconnection between pure mathematical concepts and their transformative influence on contemporary technology

Cryptographic Pairings: Efficiency and DLP security

This thesis studies two important aspects of the use of pairings in cryptography, efficient algorithms and security. Pairings are very useful tools in cryptography, originally used for the cryptanalysis of elliptic curve cryptography, they are now used in key exchange protocols, signature schemes and Identity-based cryptography. This thesis comprises of two parts: Security and Efficient Algorithms. In Part I: Security, the security of pairing-based protocols is considered, with a thorough examination of the Discrete Logarithm Problem (DLP) as it occurs in PBC. Results on the relationship between the two instances of the DLP will be presented along with a discussion about the appropriate selection of parameters to ensure particular security level. In Part II: Efficient Algorithms, some of the computational issues which arise when using pairings in cryptography are addressed. Pairings can be computationally expensive, so the Pairing-Based Cryptography (PBC) research community is constantly striving to find computational improvements for all aspects of protocols using pairings. The improvements given in this section contribute towards more efficient methods for the computation of pairings, and increase the efficiency of operations necessary in some pairing-based protocol

Pairings in Cryptology: efficiency, security and applications

Abstract The study of pairings can be considered in so many di�erent ways that it may not be useless to state in a few words the plan which has been adopted, and the chief objects at which it has aimed. This is not an attempt to write the whole history of the pairings in cryptology, or to detail every discovery, but rather a general presentation motivated by the two main requirements in cryptology; e�ciency and security. Starting from the basic underlying mathematics, pairing maps are con- structed and a major security issue related to the question of the minimal embedding �eld [12]1 is resolved. This is followed by an exposition on how to compute e�ciently the �nal exponentiation occurring in the calculation of a pairing [124]2 and a thorough survey on the security of the discrete log- arithm problem from both theoretical and implementational perspectives. These two crucial cryptologic requirements being ful�lled an identity based encryption scheme taking advantage of pairings [24]3 is introduced. Then, perceiving the need to hash identities to points on a pairing-friendly elliptic curve in the more general context of identity based cryptography, a new technique to efficiently solve this practical issue is exhibited. Unveiling pairings in cryptology involves a good understanding of both mathematical and cryptologic principles. Therefore, although �rst pre- sented from an abstract mathematical viewpoint, pairings are then studied from a more practical perspective, slowly drifting away toward cryptologic applications

Still Wrong Use of Pairings in Cryptography

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Several pairing-based cryptographic protocols are recently proposed with a wide variety of new novel applications including the ones in emerging technologies like cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), e-health systems and wearable technologies. There have been however a wide range of incorrect use of these primitives. The paper of Galbraith, Paterson, and Smart (2006) pointed out most of the issues related to the incorrect use of pairing-based cryptography. However, we noticed that some recently proposed applications still do not use these primitives correctly. This leads to unrealizable, insecure or too ine cient designs of pairing-based protocols. We observed that one reason is not being aware of the recent advancements on solving the discrete logarithm problems in some groups. The main purpose of this article is to give an understandable, informative, and the most up-to-date criteria for the correct use of pairing-based cryptography. We thereby deliberately avoid most of the technical details and rather give special emphasis on the importance of the correct use of bilinear maps by realizing secure cryptographic protocols. We list a collection of some recent papers having wrong security assumptions or realizability/e ciency issues. Finally, we give a compact and an up-to-date recipe of the correct use of pairings

Quantum attacks on Bitcoin, and how to protect against them

The key cryptographic protocols used to secure the internet and financial transactions of today are all susceptible to attack by the development of a sufficiently large quantum computer. One particular area at risk are cryptocurrencies, a market currently worth over 150 billion USD. We investigate the risk of Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies, to attacks by quantum computers. We find that the proof-of-work used by Bitcoin is relatively resistant to substantial speedup by quantum computers in the next 10 years, mainly because specialized ASIC miners are extremely fast compared to the estimated clock speed of near-term quantum computers. On the other hand, the elliptic curve signature scheme used by Bitcoin is much more at risk, and could be completely broken by a quantum computer as early as 2027, by the most optimistic estimates. We analyze an alternative proof-of-work called Momentum, based on finding collisions in a hash function, that is even more resistant to speedup by a quantum computer. We also review the available post-quantum signature schemes to see which one would best meet the security and efficiency requirements of blockchain applications.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures. For a rough update on the progress of Quantum devices and prognostications on time from now to break Digital signatures, see https://www.quantumcryptopocalypse.com/quantum-moores-law

Computation of Discrete Logarithms in GF(2^607)

International audienceWe describe in this article how we have been able to extend the record for computations of discrete logarithms in characteristic 2 from the previous record over GF(2^503) to a newer mark of GF(2^607), using Coppersmith's algorithm. This has been made possible by several practical improvements to the algorithm. Although the computations have been carried out on fairly standard hardware, our opinion is that we are nearing the current limits of the manageable sizes for this algorithm, and that going substantially further will require deeper improvements to the method